Federal Way police release sketch of suspect in child luring case
FEDERAL WAY -- Federal Way police on Monday released a sketch of a suspect who reportedly tried to lure and grabbed an 8-year-old girl Saturday as she was crossing the playfield at Brigadoon Elementary School and who may also have tried to grab a 7-year-old boy on Sunday.
The girl told police she was crossing the playfield at 3601 SW 36th Street at about 5:20 p.m. Saturday when an unknown Hispanic man between 30 and 50 and wearing a reddish/purple baseball cap sideways, a red bandana around his neck, a blue T-shirt, tan pants and black shoes asked if she wanted candy.
The girl told police she said no and tried to run away but stumbled. She said the man grabbed her from behind, but she scratched and bit his hands and was able to escape. The girl told police the bandana worn by the man had a similar pattern to the one pictured below.
Police said that, in a separate incident, a 7-year-old boy told officers that at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, a similarly described suspect attempted to grab him from approximately the same location. The victim reported that the man fled the area on foot. Patrol officers used a K-9 unit to try to find the man, but were unsuccessful. "The victim was unable to provide a starting point for the track," police said in a news release. "The incident is still being investigated and evaluated by detectives to determine if the two cases are related."
Federal Way police are asking for the public's help in trying to identify the suspect or provide information on these incidents. Please contact detective Michael Coffey at 253-835-6777 or at michael.coffey@cityoffederalway.com
